James Kurpiel Inc.

SealMaster Coal Tar Sealer

Fri, 14 Apr 2023 10:27:00 GMT

James Kurpiel Inc. of Hackensack, N.J. has SealMaster Coal Tar Sealer

in stock and available for 2024 season

According to Rick Noon, technical director at SealMaster , the more solids (asphalt, coal tar, polymers, etc.) in the formula, the better the sealer quality and the more expensive it will be. You’ll get what you pay for, and you get more solids in better or best-grade sealers; therefore we became a distributor of their pavement products.

We carry a diverse selection of SealMaster products in stock. Sealcoating an asphalt driveway not only will make it look better, it actually will make it last longer. Sealing shields paving from the sun’s ultraviolet rays, which can deteriorate the binder and expose the aggregate. Sealcoating also prevents water and ice from getting into the paving and causing it to crumble.

James Kurpiel Inc / Asphalt and Paving Contractor

19 Orchard St. – Hackensack, N.J. 07601 / Toll Free at 1-800-273-9769 / (201) 342-3170

Springtime Asphalt Maintenance

Sat, 11 Mar 2023 16:06:00 GMT

James Kurpiel Inc. of Hackensack

1. TAKE A GOOD LOOK WITH A VISUAL OVERVIEW INSPECTION

As soon as the harsh weather from the winter season is over, take the time to do thorough visual inspection of your paved areas. Make special attention to make note of any damage – even the smallest of cracks could develop into something more serious. These damages should be rectified as soon as possible as water can seep into these cracks, freeze overnight and upon expansion, deteriorate more of your pavement. Water can also sink under the asphalt and weaken the sub-structure which can cause sinking, potholes and even collapse over time.

For any property, both commercial and residential, these potholes are not only unsightly, but they’re also dangerous – which means you could be putting yourself at risk if they contribute to a fall, accident or injury. Paying out for personal injury damages or damages to a vehicle is way more expensive than having to fix a couple of potholes. Make sure you get any potholes fixed so you don’t end up with a lawsuit on your hands.

2. SEALCOAT REGULARLY

Sealcoating, also known as pavement sealing, is essential. Sealcoating is one of the best ways to help prevent damage to your asphalt paving and keeps it looking it’s best. When it comes to any pavement management plan; Sealcoating is at the top of the list. Sealcoating, in itself, consists of the application of either a coal tar pitch or asphalt cement that is mixed with inert fillers, water emulsifying agents and/or additives. This mixture, applied in thin coats protects off-highway pavement surfaces against oil, gasoline, salt, water and ultraviolet rays. You should try to have sealcoating performed on your asphalt at least every two years. If you haven’t, it’s time to schedule one in while you have dry weather.

3. TOUCH UP YOUR LINE-STRIPING

If the lines on your business’s parking lot are fading, now is the perfect time to re-stripe your lot. A fresh coat of paint will not only make your parking lot look a lot more appealing but it will also help your customers know that you care about their health, safety and well being. A fresh looking parking lot is vital for safety and efficient parking outside businesses. The ADA requires businesses to provide handicap stalls and general parking to certain criteria and standards for parking lots, thereby improving the overall safety for pedestrians, drivers and visitors; as well as enhancing your overall appearance as a business, after all “appearance is everything” and amounts to more sales and revenue flow.

Parking spaces
Fire lanes
Handicapped areas
No parking zones
Speed bumps
Loading zones

James Kurpiel of Hackensack offers a complete line of asphalt and parking lot maintenance and repair services. From line striping to patch repair, our team of professionals can remedy any situation you may have.

4. CLEAR/CLEAN UP YOUR EDGING

Belgian block is one such material that can be utilized to provide an excellent edging along the perimeter of your driveway and/or asphalt areas. If you are considering using pavers for your driveway edging and want to install the most durable material, your choice should be belgian block, also known as cobblestone pavers.

5. MAINTAIN A REGULAR ASPHALT MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE

Asphalt cleaning strikes many people as a never-ending waste of time; after all, it will just get dirty again right? What if I told you that it can dramatically extend the life of your blacktop? Parking lots large and small suffer from damage every day that can easily be prevented. Regular cleaning of your asphalt is essential to keeping it in great condition. Be sure to clear any rocks, leaves or dirt from your pavement on a regular basis so it’s clear for your visitors. This will not only make it look more attractive but it will also be a lot safer. Also be sure to clear away any dirt and debris from your drains which will also help extend the life of both the drains and your pavement. Make sure that you’re checking any drains regularly and emptying them to prevent a build-up of water.

James Kurpiel Inc / Asphalt and Paving Contractor

19 Orchard St. – Hackensack, N.J. 07601 / Toll Free at 1-800-273-9769 / (201) 342-3170

Sealcoat in the Spring

Fri, 10 Mar 2023 19:00:00 GMT

James Kurpiel Inc. of Hackensack

The long awaited and highly anticipated spring season is almost here! The sun will be shining, temperatures are climbing and snow is melting to reveal… Oh No! Severe asphalt damage!

Need some convincing? Here are 3 reasons why spring is the best time to sealcoat your asphalt.

Prepare for Summer Damage and Repair Winter Damage

Though the ice, snow, and melting agents of winter have the worst effect on your sealer, summer comes with its own sealcoat issues that need recognized. During the prolonged sun exposure and with the intense heat during summer cracks can start to appear, fading and other forms of unsightly damage and or depressions can occur and drainage can then be affected, leading to other property issues to deal with. Stay one step ahead by sealcoating in the spring and keep your sealcoating as beautiful as the summer sun.

Durability & Resilience of Your Sealcoating

Sealcoating doesn’t cure as well during the fall and winter because of cold temperatures. Late spring has the perfect weather and consistent temperature conditions for a faster and stronger curing process and more beautiful sealcoating results.

Curb Appeal

Winter is the most damaging season for your sealcoating, and it shows! Melting snow often reveals corrosion, pot holes, cracks, fading, and other signs of damage that diminish the safety and appearance of your entire paved surface.

By sealcoating your asphalt driveway in a sealant, you can seal any small cracks that may be present and prevent them from growing larger. Because these cracks are sealed, you’ll also prevent water from seeping into them and making them worse. An asphalt driveway sealcoating can also help smooth out any crevices or dips and can give your driveway a beautiful, rich look.

Improve the curb appeal of your home or business and give your asphalt some springtime TLC so it stays beautiful and protected all year long. We have over decades of expertise in our industry backed by a reputation of quality service and dedication to our customers.

Choosing the right pavement maintenance company can be difficult. Let James Kurpiel Inc, the experts in asphalt repair and resurfacing, bring your parking lot, road, walkway or other paved surface back to life. If your pavement is in need of care this spring, call James Kurpiel Inc of Hackensack New Jersey for fast, affordable service.

James Kurpiel Inc / Asphalt and Paving Contractor

19 Orchard St. – Hackensack, N.J. 07601 / Toll Free at 1-800-273-9769 / (201) 342-3170

Summer Asphalt Care and Tips

Wed, 22 Jun 2022 11:50:00 GMT

Kurpiel Inc. of Hackensack

TAKE A GOOD LOOK WITH A VISUAL OVERVIEW INSPECTION

Asphalt is perhaps the most popular type of driveway in the United States given that is excellent for all types of climates. Even though asphalt is extremely durable in all conditions, it will still need some maintenance to ensure that you get the most out of your asphalt driveway. We have listed some helpful tips and trick to do in the summer months when the asphalt is at its most vulnerable state due to the extreme heat, and help make sure that you asphalt driveway last as long as it is supposed too.

Repair cracks – Surface cracking often indicates that the subgrade beneath the asphalt is failing, this will also allow water penetration into the subgrade. In these cases, depending upon the severity, the affected problems such as potholes and alligatoring, may need to be removed and replaced. Alligator cracking is a term commonly used to describe the distinctive appearance of an asphalt surface that has suffered fatigue damage. The terms crocodile cracking,” alligatored asphalt” and “crocodiling” are all used interchangeably to describe the damage as the pattern formed is reminiscent of a reptile’s scaly skin.

“Asphalt Alligator Cracking”

If you notice iridescent or rainbow-colored patches, these should be cleaned off as soon as possible. Oil and fuel spills can degrade the asphalt’s surface quickly, creating imperfections which over time can become full-fledged failures, reducing your asphalt’s performance and lifespan. In addition to the fuel and oil spills mentioned above, it’s always a good idea to keep your asphalt clean and clear of debris.

Food products, in particular, should be cleaned up quickly, because these tend to have a relatively high acid content, e.g., ketchup, hot sauce, salad dressing, which then lingers on the surface, promoting deterioration of the asphalt. Sweeping your driveway regularly throughout the summer makes your property look clean and can prevent excessive stress on your driveway.

The nice weather means more sprinkler use, hand watering delicate landscaping, washing cars and spraying off the driveway. If repairs are not made to your driveway, water from irrigation can seep through these openings in its surface. Water and moisture will begin to degrade the layers underneath the asphalt, and prolonged exposure to the sun can worsen the problem.

Seal coating is most likely the best way to preserve your driveway for the long haul as it will protect against heat oxidation, water damage and will help protect your driveway against any other elements such as hail, broken branches or tree limbs, etc. Not to mention, a fresh seal coat will help put a nice new shine on your asphalt similar to putting tire shine on your tires.

Avoid Sharp or Excessively Heavy Objects: Just like anything that you want to keep nice, you want to keep sharp objects from dropping on your driveway such as nails, razor blades, etc. These can dig into the surface and create opportunities for expensive and costly cracks to develop. Also, avoid putting extremely heavy products on your driveway. For example; if you are re-roofing the residence, don’t place skids of roofing shingles on the asphalt as they could cause sinking and/or large depressions because of the extreme , summer heat buildup.

Contact us for an estimate today. Kurpiel Inc. can help you not only with the installation of your new asphalt driveway, but can also provide preventative maintenance and sealing as well.

James Kurpiel Inc / Asphalt and Paving Contractor

19 Orchard St. – Hackensack, N.J. 07601 / Toll Free at 1-800-273-9769 / (201) 342-3170

Residential Asphalt Driveway

Mon, 11 Apr 2022 14:46:00 GMT

Asphalt Rip and Replace

When your driveway looks like shattered glass or a drunken spider’s web or an icy lake breaking under your feet, it’s time to take action. Metaphors aside, at some point a “rip and replace” of your driveway is the only way to remedy an ongoing situation. All that minor damage can add up to major problems down the road; or in this case down the driveway.

To rip and replace a driveway, the asphalt is removed and the foundation is dug up and regraded. Establishing the foundation is the most important aspect of driveway replacement. You can go years filling in cracks here, patching holes there, even resurfacing the whole driveway. But if the foundation is bad, all your work will be in vain and these problems will return year after year, which basically means you are throwing money away in repairs that don’t stand the test of time.

This is followed by a course of compacted asphalt as a base binder course, 2” thick, is the minimum, but 4” is better. Finally, a surface layer of 2”-thick compacted asphalt is installed. This type of installation will provides the longest lasting asphalt driving with proper maintenance and care.

Below are some of our latest examples of completed residential asphalt driveway “rip and replace”.

6 Signs It’s Time to Replace Your Asphalt Driveway

STANDING WATER

RAVELING

ALLIGATOR CRACKS

MISSING PIECES

MULTIPLE FAILURES

OLD AGE

Kurpiel Inc of Hackensack NJ Asphalt Driveway Contractors 19 Orchard St. – Hackensack, N.J. 07601 / Toll Free at 1-800-273-9769 / (201) 342-3170

Recycling Face Masks Into Roads

Fri, 28 Jan 2022 12:12:00 GMT

Repurposing of COVID-19 single-use face masks for pavements base/subbase

An experimental study published in the journal of Science of the Total Environment found that face masks can be recycled to make roads. The research team developed a material that can be used for base layers of roads and pavements made from shredded face masks and processed building rubble.

A one kilometer stretch of a two-lane road would use approximately 3 million masks and divert 93 tons of waste from landfill. The COVID-19 pandemic has not only created a global health and economic crisis but has also had dramatic effects on the environment. If we can bring circular economy thinking to this massive waste problem, we can develop the smart and sustainable solutions we need.

The RMIT research team may have come up with the perfect recipe to tackle both waste streams using a mixture of 1 per cent shredded face masks and 99 per cent RCA. This ratio creates a strong yet flexible product, meaning it won’t crack under the pressure of heavy trucks, that holds up when tested for stress, acid and water resistance and meets civil engineering safety standards.

After the success of their pilot study, the researchers are now looking at the possibility of creating a concrete aggregate with face masks. An estimated 6.8 billion disposable face masks are being used across the world each day during the pandemic, only to end up in landfill or polluting our oceans.

Vice Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellow

Resources

Kurpiel Inc of Hackensack NJ

Asphalt Driveway Contractors

19 Orchard St. – Hackensack, N.J. 07601 / Toll Free at 1-800-273-9769 / (201) 342-3170

Cleaning Asphalt Emulsion Tank

Sun, 28 Mar 2021 14:09:00 GMT

James Kurpiel, of Kurpiel Inc in Hackensack, New Jersey, practices proactive maintenance before the busy sealmaster coating season by cleaning his sealcoating tanks before the onset of another sealcoating and asphalt season. “We have to get inside the tank to clean it,” he said. “Getting inside a tank is a nasty job, but when I do it I know it’s done right.”

Now we are ready for the season.

Kurpiel Inc of Hackensack NJ

Asphalt Driveway Contractors

19 Orchard St. – Hackensack, N.J. 07601 / Toll Free at 1-800-273-9769 / (201) 342-3170

How hot temperatures affect asphalt

Thu, 23 Jul 2020 15:41:00 GMT

Asphalt Heat Distress

With this extended exposure to extremely high temperatures during a heat wave, the sun can have a damaging effect on your pavement. During the warm summer season and even more so during extreme and prolonged periods of heat, the sun’s UV rays can cause the asphalt to fade in color and can also create soft spots, which if left alone can lead to potholes. The constant beating down upon and absorption of this heat can also make the asphalt surface easier to scratch, get scuffed up from vehicular traffic and even begin to chip away. This heat can also lead to cracks as well which will result in water seeping into the sub-layers. This leads to air gaps forming within the structure of the asphalt pavement and when pressure such as the weight of vehicles and traffic is applied from above the top layer begins to sag, crumble and form potholes. It also has a bleaching effect on asphalt and can cause it to turn gray over time instead of the dark black it once started out as.

Two Common Asphalt Issues Caused By Heat to Inspect For

Another thing to look for is oxidation which weakens the entire structure of the asphalt, causing the surface to become brittle. UV radiation from sunlight causes a chemical reaction where the light oils combine into heavier oils which reduces the number of binding oils in the asphalt. As oxidation progresses, cracking and/or raveling becomes more prevalent.

Preventing Heat Damage To Your Asphalt

Since sealcoating protects asphalt, heat damage can be prevented or minimized by reapplying this protectant on a regular schedule. A great time to apply sealcoating is when the heat is on as the higher temperatures help the materials bond with the surface. These higher temperatures also lowers the viscosity (the measure of a fluid’s resistance to flow) of the asphalt,which allows sealcoating to flow more readily into deeper cracks and crevices, thereby protecting the sub-layers as well as the surface.

If your asphalt is showing signs of damage, it’s not too late to make amends. Being proactive and repairing the surface now (rather than later) extends the functional lifespan of your asphalt and can save you the time and cost of a full replacement.

James Kurpiel Inc of Hackensack

Commercial Asphalt Property Maintenance Contractor

19 Orchard St. – Hackensack, N.J. 07601 / Toll Free at 1-800-273-9769 / (201) 342-3170

Asphalt Oxidation

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 14:41:00 GMT

Commercial Asphalt Maintenance

You can see this process for yourself. Newly laid asphalt pavement is a dark, rich, black cover. Over the span of a few years, because of oxidation processes, the asphalt begins turning to lighter shades of black and eventually becomes gray. During this period is when cracks develop and when heavy vehicular traffic gets added into the mix, potholes begin to develop from failure and the weakening of the asphalt’s sub-structure. This is seen in the image below as this shading is evident where the sealcoating has not yet been applied.

This time span can be anywhere between 5 to 20 years, with the average lifespan of asphalt typically being 20 – 25 years. Once oxidation of asphalt has created a dramatic stiffening of the pavement, the load bearing capability is greatly reduced resulting in more extensive maintenance costs.

James Kurpiel Inc of Hackensack, N.J. offers commercial asphalt maintenance services from sealcoating to asphalt crack filling and complete replacement. In need of some help with regards to your asphalt maintenance? Send us a request on our contact us page, click the envelope on the right and reach us that way, or give us a call at (201) 342-3170 and talk with one of our expert product and service representatives. They’ll be happy to assist you.

James Kurpiel Inc of Hackensack

Commercial Asphalt Property Maintenance Contractor

19 Orchard St. – Hackensack, N.J. 07601 / Toll Free at 1-800-273-9769 / (201) 342-3170

Asphalt Protection — the freeze thaw cycle

Tue, 24 Sep 2019 13:40:00 GMT

Asphalt Freeze-Thaw Cycles

Some property management during the fall or autumn months can ensure that you won’t be facing larger problems during the winter months. While inspecting your property and/or residence don’t forget to look down and consider asphalt freeze-thaw cycle protection during the upcoming cold season.

Budgeting for preventive asphalt maintenance can maintain your property’s curb appeal, increase the longevity of your asphalt and address safety concerns in the long run. Maintenance projects such as filling potholes, crack filling, and sealcoating provide an excellent r.o.i. (return on investment).

Asphalt Freeze-Thaw Cycles

A freeze-thaw cycle occurs whenever the temperature goes from above freezing (32 F), to below freezing, and then back again. This is considered one freeze-thaw cycle, and Northern New Jersey undergoes a couple of these each year. At an above freezing temperature the rainwater and runoff from melting snow will find it way into the smallest of cracks. Then when the temperature goes below 32 degrees this water begins to freeze and expand, thereby exerting enough pressure to crack the surrounding asphalt and grow. When water freezes it expands about ten percent and can exert up to 30,000 psi as it does so. Then along comes some warmer above freezing temperatures and the cycle begins all over again.

Then there is the damage to the sub-grade to consider. Water beneath the asphalt is meant to be drained away, but during the cold season it can freeze with this sub-grade. The result can be frost heave which happens when water freezes and expands in larger chunks and forces the asphalt above upward. Again when the temperatures climb these chunks of ice start to melt, thereby weakening the base layer and creating a void where they once were. Asphalt traffic from above then compresses these areas and potholes can quickly appear.

Asphalt Protection and Maintenance

First and foremost it is important to consider the drainage of water both above and below the asphalt. A sloping pavement will quickly direct water off the surface of the pavement into a collection basin. Proper drains installed below the pavement can prevent frost heave from occurring by removing water within the base and sub-grade layers.

Asphalt crack sealing every 2-3 years is the best property management practice you can undertake to preserve your asphalt pavements. Crack sealing prevents water from entering cracks during the freeze-thaw cycles and from reaching the base and sub-grade layers. while making your asphalt look like new again, increasing the curb appeal of your property.

Once cracking has become widespread, a mill and overlay is option and often the only one which will restore the surface of the pavement. Ideally, all asphalt maintenance such as sealcoating, cracks and potholes repair should be done in the driest possible conditions. Exposure to weather elements impacts the structural integrity of your asphalt.

Take advantage of the fall weather and protect your asphalt. You can count on our professional team to work with you to identify realistic asphalt maintenance plans for your commercial properties, business and residential properties. Contact us today to schedule sealcoating and to learn more about what you need to protect your asphalt driveways before winter hits.

James Kurpiel Inc of Hackensack

Commercial Asphalt Property Maintenance Contractor

19 Orchard St. – Hackensack, N.J. 07601 / Toll Free at 1-800-273-9769 / (201) 342-3170